The next day Gerard wakes up in a good mood for once and can't keep from smiling. Frank cares for him, cares enough to come over to his home and check up on him. And there was the moment, they leaned in to kiss and now he's almost completely sure he wasn't the only one feeling the tension and anticipation of what's about to happen.

There's a new skip to his walk, he hums something along 'I'm walking on sunshine' and even kisses his mom on the cheek goodbye and leaves trough the door before she can ask him what's gotten into him.

Gerard doesn't even run or hide from the photographers he unfortunately met on his first day at work. He's feeling too good to care. The first thing he does when he enters his office is set up his music, this time he doesn't play the regular heavy rock but puts on something more energetic and lighter so he can dance and sing along. He starts to draw enthusiastically, finishing the sketches for two projects before lunch which, he has to admit, look pretty good.

While the elevator is going up Gerard doesn't know what to expect. Frank greets him this time as usual that means Helen isn't there with them. Though, he doesn't say anything about last night, like yesterday never happened and leads him to their usual little room.

Gerard isn't sure whether he's glad or disappointed with Frank's behavior. Okay, maybe he expected something, he isn't sure what exactly but maybe a bit of a change to how they act towards one another.

Ray and Bob greet him cheerfully

"Hey, what happened yesterday? We heard you were sick" Ray says looking curious and concerned. So Frank hasn't told them, he's more than thankful for that.

"I just wasn't feeling very well it's nothing" He says shrugging it off. He was feeling bad yesterday he just didn't say how he dealt with it. Frank nods like he's hearing it for the first time.

"Oh good! We thought you decided to quit or something" Bob says looking relieved.

"Well you were the only one who thought like that, I said he got the cold and looks as though I was right!" Ray says with a smirk on his face.

"Okay no, you were the paranoid one suggesting that, I said it might be possible for either option to be true so I was half right" Bob says pointing a finger at his friend.

"That's not what happened! I didn't even bring that up! It was you who started to piss your pants" Ray says defensively.

"Will you two stop? You're bickering like an old married couple. Who the fuck cares who started it, Gerard's back, isn't he?" Frank says louder than the both of them, surprising everyone with his sudden outburst. Ray and Bob calm down but still continue arguing without words just using their facial expressions.

"Are you feeling better, Gerard?" Franks asks looking at him after taking a few deep breaths. Gerard realizes he's not asking about his health

"Much better, I drank lots of tea and my mom fed me so much medication I think I'll be healthy for the whole year" Gerard says jokingly, the younger man looks pleased with his answer.

The rest of lunch flies by with random conversations and opinions, Frank and Gerard constantly stealing glances at one another. Frank, because he feels the need to watch over his friend, and Gerard, because Frank's outburst earlier frightened him a bit and he was being cautious. When it's over the shorter man insists on walking Gerard to the elevator, something he never usually does. Ray and Bob are still in the tiny room arguing about fuck knows what.

Gerard is standing facing Frank, the elevator door behind him. Frank takes a step closer not seeming to care or maybe even notice that he's invading Gerard's personal space, and reaches behind his back to press the button. Gerard doesn't say anything or move or blink, just takes a sharp intake of breath and tenses up as Frank's hand brushes against his lower back accidentally.

"So really, how you holding up?" Frank asks concerned

"I'm good, I don't plan on taking another sip of that if you don't want me to" Gerard says looking down and dropping the last part quickly and quietly

"I don't want you to do this for me I want you to do it for yourself" Frank says looking dead serious

"Yeah I realize that but it's-" he swallows down, pressing his lips together "it's an addiction. I'll try to get over this but I don't want to make any promises" Gerard says honestly just before stepping into the elevator.

"Well you have me for that, that's what friends are for" Frank says smiling at him as the door closes.

Gerard's heart sinks to his stomach. Just a bit but it still hurts. He didn't expect them to just jump into something a bit more than friends especially with Gerard's alcohol problem but it still makes him upset.

He doesn't remember how he walked back to his office but now he's staring with a blank expression at the empty piece of paper knowing he couldn't draw right now even if his life depended on it. He just gives up on it and turns in the previous sketches he made before lunch.

He gets back home and goes to his room immediately without even saying hi to his mom quite surprising her because of his sudden change of moods. Out of habit he opens up his safety cabinet that should be full of alcohol but it's empty. He forgot he got rid of them yesterday when he promised Frank.

Gerard craves it and bad. It's even worse now when he knows he can't have it. The moment anyone's ever told he/she can't do something you can bet your ass they'll do it. He doesn't know what else to do when all of his thoughts are circling about the bitter liquid that burns his throat along with his thoughts and memories. He decides to go to bed early he can't drink if he's sleeping. Though, his mind steers back to Frank and keep him awake for another hour or two, over thinking everything's that happened and coming to the conclusion that Frank is one of the most confusing people he's ever known (right after Mikey).

He doesn't remember when he fell asleep but the next morning isn't any better than his last evening. Well the good news is that today is Friday and Mikey should come back this weekend.

He goes through a normal and uneventful day for a change, letting his mind relax on the drama and focus more on his work, or at least until the second half of his day.

He gets back to his office from having lunch with his friends again and turns his music up really loud to drown his thoughts and other cravings. He barely gets any work done but at least he has a good time singing, dancing and rocking out. By the end of his day he doesn't even care what song is playing he still sings along to it like it's his favorite.

Frank pays him an unexpected visit towards the end of the day. Knocks on the door and walks right in saying

"Hey Gerard do you want to go-" he stops talking once he realizes that Gerard is too busy singing along to what appears to be Madonna's "Like a Virgin" on the top of his lungs and hasn't even noticed him coming in.

Gerard turns around and sees an open mouthed Frank staring at him and scrambles to turn the volume down on his computer and flushes red from embarrassment

"Sorry about that." He says uncomfortably thinking how you normally continue a conversation after someone's seen you dance along to a pop song. "Uh, what's up?" he asks feeling very self-conscious.

"Never mind that, come with me" Frank says seriously after a pause, grabbing Gerard's hand and dragging him out of his office. He's positively beaming by the time they get to the elevator

"What? Where?" Gerard asks confused

"To Bob's" Franks says curtly, getting in the elevator and muttering under his mouth things that Gerard doesn't understand: "yes, it was just what he was looking for. It will work. Fucking finally…" Gerard notices that Frank still has his hand in his while they stand alone in the elevator.

The door isn't even fully open yet and Frank is already pushing Gerard out of the elevator and announcing quite loudly

"Bob! I have found the right voice for the part!" Gerard is still confused as to what Frank is talking about.

"Frank if this is another one of your jokes you can fuck off. This isn't funny anymore, if I don't finish this by the end of next week I'll get fired from that department" Bob says looking very tired and stressed

"I'm not! Look, I walked in on Gerard singing and I'm telling you he's perfect for the commercial" Frank says feeling proud of himself "and you said music isn't for you, I didn't know you were this good at singing" he turns to Gerard with fake accusation.

"What, I'm not! Wait, you want me to sing for a commercial. Are you crazy?" Gerard says looking bewildered. Bob looks up from his desk looking at Gerard with interest

"Hmm… I think it could actually work. We'll have to run through some tests and stuff but I think it would suit the commercial well. I'll need to talk with your manager to get you this part time job" Bob says moving his papers around

"Wait wait, who said I'll even agree to this, maybe I don't want to" Gerard says cockily putting a hand on his hip

Bob gives him a piece of paper to Gerard. It's a pay check and once Gerard see's the numbers-

"So we start on Monday?" Gerard says while Frank, Bob and Ray laugh at his sudden agreement at the mention of money. Gerard can't pass on such an opportunity. He still didn't give up the idea of getting his own apartment so every penny counts.

"Yeah, if everything goes smoothly. Now, since you've never been appointed in this department you'll need a supervisor. I can't take that part because I'll be your boss or something like that so I'm appointing Frank" Bob says while writing something down on paper. Frank punches the air in victory and comes up behind Gerard putting his hand on his waist

"Looks like you'll be my bitch for the week" he says smugly. Gerard takes his hand of his waist

"Don't be so sure about that" Gerard answers playfully and goes to help Bob sort out his papers.

They get all the papers ready and Gerard's manager agrees on the terms. He can't believe it, two weeks ago he was reluctant on keeping one job and now he has two. The entire next week he'll be working with Frank and Bob, this is going to be torture.

He spends the last few hours of work doodling mindlessly, humming some tunes wondering what will it be like to sing professionally when he hears his phone ring. He answers without checking who it is

"Hello?"

"Hey, guess who just got back" Gerard hears an excited voice at the other line

"Hey Mikes! I thought you were supposed to get back only tomorrow"

"Yeah I thought so too but change of plans. We just got home and finished unpacking so I'm free to annoy you" he exclaims with a smile

"I forgot what a little shit you can be" Gerard says chuckling "So, tell me everything about your trip"

Mikey goes on a long rant about the overpriced hotel and the too hot weather and how Alicia got stung by a jelly fish and needed to go to the hospital and that's the reason they came back early, about the strange two men living beside them, one of them was a magician or something because he would look at you once and tell you your whole life story while the other was full of sassy comebacks. Mikey is convinced they're a couple. Gerard listens to his stories thinking how lucky he'd be if the biggest worry in his life would be about not having enough sun cream.

Gerard tells him everything that happened to him in return. Mikey was very glad to hear Frank made him stop drinking and listened to Gerard's doubts about Franks

"Look, you'll just have to ask him out, I mean he wouldn't have done any of those things if he didn't like you" Mikey says trying to persuade him with logic

"Yeah, I think I'll just have to pluck up the courage and do it." Gerard says making up his mind once and for all. "I mean now it'll be way easier. I got a part time job at the company, I'll be helping out Bob with a commercial and Frank is my supervisor so I'll get to see him every-"

"Wait, Frank is your supervisor? And did they say that you'll have to be working on the 9th floor where all of the new equipment is?" Mikey asks seriously now

"Yes they did tell me. Why?" Gerard asks suspiciously

"Oh god Gerard no this is bad. First of all the people working on the 9th floor are the most homophobic pricks in the building!"

"How do you know th-?"

"Second of all if Frank is your supervisor technically you can only have a work related relationship with him, not the one you want. They could report you and both of you would lose your jobs" Mikey says burying his face in his hands.

"What? So I have to wait a whole week?!" Gerard nearly shouts, sitting up straight in his chair

The moment he decides to go for it, really go for it not just a spur of the moment decision, something just has to get in the way. The company party is next weekend and he was hoping maybe going with Frank.

"It seems like it. If you knew how to be discreet you could keep it as a secret but yeah you're pretty terrible at that" Mikey thinks out loud

"What are you talking about, I can be discreet" Gerard responds defensively

"Yeah sure, what about the time you tried to cheat during a test but you got so flushed and started to sweat so bad the teacher thought you had a boner and said-"

"Okay okay that's enough, I see your point" he cuts him off embarrassed "I'll just wait a little longer I guess"